


Angel

by Frog_heart_00



Category: Riverdale - Fandom
Genre: A bit of angst but Bughead fluff in the end, F/M, Jughead gets a loose tongue, Jughead has a thing for angels, Jughead high on morphine, One Shot, Post 2x21, mentions of angels (don't know how it ended up that way), post-beat up angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 23:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14681556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frog_heart_00/pseuds/Frog_heart_00
Summary: Post 2x21 one shot. Jughead is high on morphine and gets a bit unjughead-ish.He shares a moment with FP and Betty at the hospital.It might be a bit angsty at the beginning but Bughead fluff at the end.





	Angel

**Author's Note:**

> Okay guys, I decided to post this post2x21 fic just before the finale!  
> I may be a nurse but please take all medical banter with a grain of salt!  
> Enjoy!

_It wasn’t so bad_ , he thought as he was laying on the ground, discarded like trash in a ditch god knows where, along with the spiders and other critters, in utter darkness.

_An end fit for a Serpent._

Time was running out, he knew that. His body was entirely numb and despite whatever strength he had left, he couldn’t move an inch and everything around him was blurry and muffled.

Every breath was difficult to take and the burning sensation in his chest was only worsened by the burning on his arm. _His arm! The left one…!_ He didn’t even remember that part, getting knocked out after the second punch.

Finally they had gotten their revenge and Jughead Jones hoped, in his semi-conscious state, that his gesture would protect the people he cared about and stop all the craziness that was happening in town. He felt himself sink down in the dirt, the honest truth being that his heroic action, as selfless as it was, probably didn’t change a goddamn thing, he had concluded.

He blacked out for a while, not knowing whether it had gone minutes, hours or days. He was comfortable, in the ditch, and he hoped that whenever they’d find him, he would look to be resting in peace.

His lungs were on fire now and his breaths were shallower … He should feel sad, knowing what was going to happen, but if he were honest, he didn’t care, he just wanted it to be over…

_It won’t be long now._

…..

The next thing he felt was being lifted in the air. _Is this how it happens?_ He wondered as he tried to open his eyes and could discern his arm hanging loosely in the air. There was a muffled sound buzzing in his ears. _Was it angels singing?_ He felt his body moving and felt the light sound following him. _Were they following him? Welcoming him with some angelic music?_

He finally felt a harder surface underneath him and as he lay there, he felt as though he was standing directly under the sun with several shadows looming over him. He felt manhandled by several people as and just as he passed out again, he instinctively felt a cool hand on his cheek and another squeezing his battered one.

\----

He woke up again with excruciating pain throughout his entire body, feeling as though a knife was splitting his body in two. Suddenly scared that he was still in the hands of the Ghoulies, terrified that they were not done with him yet, he let out a gurgling cry as he managed to sit up, throwing arms and legs in different directions. The pain caused him to trash around the small space he was in, desperately wanting it to be gone. His lungs were on fire, his head was spinning and his arm, the pain on his arm made him wish he could simply cut it off.

Several sets of hands forcefully laid him down again.

“Jughead, calm down.” A teary voice pleaded, the muffled sounds growing clearer. Jughead jerked his head about and thought he could see a strand of blonde hair among the other figures that loomed around him. “Let them help.”

 _It couldn’t be her, could it?_ He thought wildly, noticing the soft rumbling underneath him and the faint sirens in the background. _An ambulance_ , he realized, he was in an ambulance…

….

Jughead was suddenly aware of the stable beeping of a monitor nearby. He took a deep breath, languid and slow as it was but without pain. He felt his mind heavy, as though every strain of sane thought was difficult to achieve, thoughts of everything being okay overwhelming him. A mask was placed around his mouth, a faint flow of air filtering through the tube, making a low wish sound. Jughead opened his eyes, as much as he could due to the swelling. His vision sharpening, he noticed the dark green curtains surrounding him, shiny fluorescent lights above him with an old yellow/white coloured ceiling.

He thought he was alone in the room and he tried to move around but thought better of it. It was then that he felt a warm hand holding his. He turned to look and saw her, the blonde angel he thought he had seen in the ambulance. His eyes opened wide as her presence illuminated the entire room. She was sitting next to him, next the monitors, tears running down her cheek, a big smile on her porcelain face.

“Juggie.” She whispered, placing a kiss on his knuckles before squeezing his hands. “You’re awake.”

He pulled down the mask and smiled lazily. “You’re an angel, aren’t you?”

“Jug, it’s Betty.” A deep male voice informed. Jughead now noticed FP smiling gruffly, small tears on the edge of his eyes.

No” He shook his head in disbelief, his voice a little higher than usual, a dopey grin forming on his lips. “That can’t be her name because angels, they don’t have names like Betty.” His eyes went back to her as she stared at him, grinning through the tears. “The most beautiful angel I’ve ever seen.” He sighed, hoping she wasn’t leaving any time soon. He looked at FP in wonder. “Can’t you see her wings, dad? And the ring over her head?”

A little chuckle came out of the angel as she smiled shyly. _My god did she have a great smile_. “Oh Jug, they’ve given you some morphine to help with the pain, I guess its making you a bit… _different_.” He heard his dad chuckle.

“What? _Drugs?_ I don’t need drugs!” Jughead protested.

The angel leaned forward and shook her head, her green eyes locking on to his. “No, Jug, the drugs are there to help you.” She reassured. “You’re really hurt right now and they had to give you some pain medication. The doctors are going to fix you pretty soon.”

None of this made sense to Jughead, he wasn’t in any pain, heck, he felt totally okay.

“But I’m okay.” He insisted, smiling goofily. He looked at the blonde deity and grinned. “I’ve got you here, I don’t need anything else.”

“It’s _Betty_.” She smiled as she gently brushed his cheek. He closed his eyes, enjoying her silky fingers.

“Ok Angel _Betty_.” He reluctantly.

“How are you doing, son?” FP asked.

“I’m fine.” He sighed, his body still heavy. He half paid attention as his dad was mentioning what was really wrong with him, something about broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and maybe some internal bleeding. He had to get an operation to remove the spleen and make sure everything was okay. Jughead couldn’t understand why he needed all of this, he wanted to prove to them that he was _okay_ but when he tried to get up he quickly stopped as the voices of protest made him lay back on the gurney.

“Just calm down son, alright?” FP said calmly as he placed a hand on his chest. “They’re going to fix you soon enough.”

Jughead sighed as he looked at the angel again. He grinned. “You are so beautiful you know that?” He repeated with a lopsided smile on his face.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” She cooed back, battering her lashes. She passed a hand through his hair and Jughead managed to grab her hand.

“Don’t you ever go, okay, Angel Betty?”

“I won’t, Juggie.” She shook her head fervently, taking his hands in hers. “I never will. Not now, not ever.”

He grinned some more and took a deep breath. He watched as she leaned over and pulled the mask further down before she placed a light kiss on his bruised lips. Jughead closed his eyes and savored every moment, feeling her lips on his, smelling and tasting the sweet smell of strawberries. The moment was short as she pulled away. Their eyes locked for a moment. The Angel leaned her head on the side, fresh tears running down her face.

“I love you Jughead Jones.” She said in a shaken voice. “ _Always_.”

He grinned. “I love you too Angel Betty.”

The moment was cut short as a nurse appeared through the curtains, carrying several syringes on a tray. She talked to FP and Angel Betty about getting him prepped for the surgery. She smiled warmly and turned towards him, fiddling with the monitors behind him.

“We’re about to come and get you Mr. Jones. I’m just going to give you a bit of pre-medication, just to make you more comfortable.” The nurse explained softly as she began to flush the syringes into his i.v. line.

“I think he’s high enough already.” FP scoffed as he waited at the end of the bed, Angel Betty standing next to him.

Once the nurse was done, she said they would return shortly before disappearing through the curtains.

As soon as Jughead felt the cold fluid into his arm, he let out a long sigh and sinked further in the gurney which now felt like a bunch of fluffy clouds, his head lolling to one side. He smiled faintly as his body and his mind grew number.

“You okay there, boy?” FP went to the other side of the bed, a worried frown on his face.

“Oh, I’m quite super.” Jughead quipped, grinning from ear to ear. He looked at Angel Betty. “I have you here with me.”

“They’re coming to get you now, Jug.” Betty managed to say though the tears. “Your dad and I are going to wait until they’re done fixing you, alright? We’re not going anywhere.”

“I sure hope not.” Jughead sighed. “I don’t think I can remember your phone number right now.”

FP chuckled and leaned forward, his forehead touching his sons. “You hang in there boy, alright? You’re a survivor, you’ve always been a survivor.” He said in a shaken voice.

“Geez Dad, lighten up.” Jughead scoffed with his dopey grin as FP pulled away.

As if on cue, the curtains were opened and a small team of nurses and orderlies arrived. The surgeon quickly informed them of what was going to happen before giving a sign for the team to pull the gurney out of the small cubicle.

Angel Betty and FP walked alongside the gurney, serious frowns on their faces. The angel kept holding Jughead’s hands, reassuring him that everything would be alright. He merely smiled, happy to have her by his side.

The gurney stopped momentarily and Jughead saw the doctor informing them that they couldn’t go any further. Both nodded sadly. Jughead knew he was about to pass out but there was something he really had to tell before they left.

 

\---

\---

 

“Dad!” Jughead said loud in very _un-Jughead_ voice. It sounded almost childish. FP felt his arm being pulled by his son.

FP, responding to his son’s alertness eagerly leaned over until he could almost feel his sons’ breath on him. “Yeah, kid?”

Smiling goofily, he pointed at Betty. “Dad, you know that angel there?”

“Yes.” FP smiled eagerly glancing at Betty who simply watched, her green doe eyes reddening and covered in tears. “ _Betty_.”

“Yeah.” Jughead made a slight gesture with his hand and FP pulled his head closer, thinking he might not want to be overhead. With whatever strength he had left, Jughead slightly lifted his arm and pointed at Betty. “You know that angel over there, I’m going to _marry_ her someday.” He said rather loudly so that everyone around could hear, creating a few chuckles from the surgical team. He smiled brightly, albeit goofily and so unlike his real self that FP had to think hard to remember the last time he held such a smile. The dark-haired boy leaned back, still holding his smile and stared at Betty just as the nurses and orderlies opened the door to the operating room and pulled Jughead’s gurney in.

“Angel.” They heard his broken voice singing loudly. “Angel…”

FP and Betty stood side by side and watched as he disappeared from their view, waiting for the door to close. FP was biting his lip as he was catching his breath, feeling as though he’d been running a marathon after smoking too many cigarettes. He glanced over at Betty who looked just as affected as he was. Her shoulders were straight, her arms alongside her, fists clenched. Her large green doe eyes watered as the tears fell freely down her cheek.

“Did he… Did he just say what I think he said?” She asked in a shaken voice.

“He sure did.” FP answered, a small ball forming in the back of his throat.

“Okay.” Betty replied softly, her fingers unclenching themselves and her head lifting up. “ _Okay_.”

FP placed an arm around the blonde as they turned around and walked to the waiting room. “Welcome to the family, kid.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it!


End file.
